Your Bloodline. Your Profession. Your Curse | Curse of Strahd
Strahd didn't trap you in Barovia by accident. He's been waiting for your bloodline for 400 years and he arranged everything to make sure you'd come.
$25.00
/ Session
Details
Weekly / Sunday - 6:00 PM UTC
Mar 15 / Session 1
Session Duration / 2.5–3 hours
Campaign Length / 40–50 Sessions
5 / 6 Seats Filled
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Schedule
Meet your party members
5/6
About the adventure
You don't need D&D experience to play here. You need a character with a past, and I'll help you build one that Strahd has been obsessed with for four centuries. That mentor who died unexpectedly? He killed them. The job offer that brought you here? He arranged it. The nightmares you've been having? Your ancestor's memories bleeding through. When the Mists take you and you finally stand before him, Strahd won't introduce himself. He'll say your family name like he's been rehearsing it for centuries. Because he has. Every major character in Barovia reacts to your bloodline specifically. Ireena recognizes you on sight. Van Richten trusts you because he knew your ancestor personally. Others despise your family name for what your ancestor did, or failed to do, when it mattered most. You're not a random adventurer who stumbled into the wrong fog. You're the person Strahd has been waiting for. Three to four times across the campaign, you'll play as your ancestor in fully playable flashback scenes set 400 years ago. Make choices. Watch them fail. Finally understand why Strahd is the way he is. Combat is cinematic and tactical, collapsing towers, explosive flour mills, festival riots. Between sessions you'll receive letters from Strahd, your ancestor's memories, and world updates showing how Barovia reacted to your choices. The story doesn't pause when you log off. Four possible endings. Forty to fifty sessions. One question underneath all of it: your ancestors faced Strahd and lost. Are you actually different, or has he simply been patient enough to find out?
Game style
Combat Lite
Roleplay Heavy
Rule of Cool (RoC)
Game themes
Meet the Game Master
4.7
(15)
2 years on StartPlaying
21 games hosted
Highly rated for: Creativity, Storytelling, World Builder
Average response time: Under 1 hour
Response rate: 100%
About me
I'm Davi from Bristol, United Kingdom, and have been running D&D Campaigns for 7 years because I genuinely love this stuff. Designing NPCs with proper personalities, building locations players actually remember, weaving plot hooks that pay off sessions later, that's what gets me excited about GMing. I play and GM at my local game club too, so I know what makes a good session from both sides of the screen. As a voice actor and educator, I've got a knack for bringing characters to life and explaining mechanics in ways that click. My games lean dark fantasy with character-driven stories where your backstory becomes the plot, not just background flavour.
View Profile →Character creation
Creating your character
We'll do character creation in a free 45-minute 1-on-1 call before the campaign starts. Your Character: 1. Any official 5e content from D&D Beyond (I share everything, you buy nothing) 2. Standard array, point buy, or rolled stats (your choice) 3. Starting at level 1 4. Choose an Advanced Profession instead of a background: Academic, Aristocrat, Clergy, Criminal, Common Folk, Militarist, Outlander, or Occult. These aren't backstory, they're mechanical progression systems (Rank 1-4) that give you abilities, resources, and story power throughout the campaign Your Ancestor: Together we'll create your ancestor who lived 400 years ago and their connection to Strahd. E.G.s: The Soldier's Line: Served under Strahd, tried to stop him. You inherit the Sunsword's broken hilt. The Lover's Line: Rejected Strahd before Tatyana, murdered on their wedding day. You inherit a torn journal page. The Betrayer's Line: Strahd's advisor who betrayed him. You inherit the holy symbol's broken chain. The Witness's Line: Saw something they shouldn't have. You inherit a map. The Rival's Line: Competed with Strahd for power. You inherit Van Richten's journal. The Tatyana Line: You're descended from her bloodline, you look exactly like her. You inherit her locket. We'll connect your ancestor to YOUR current backstory, that dead mentor, that job offer, those nightmares? All Strahd's doing. By the end of Session Zero, you'll have a complete character whose past is woven directly into the campaign.
What to expect
Preparing for the session
Before Session 1, create these accounts (all free): Discord - Voice chat and campaign hub (I'll send the invite) D&D Beyond - Character sheets (I share all content) Foundry VTT - No account needed, just click my browser link
What Davi brings to the table
New to D&D? Good. I run a free 1-on-1 session zero before the campaign starts, we build your character together, explain every mechanic you need, and make sure you feel confident before session one. I've helped dozens of new players fall in love with this game. Everything is provided: the virtual tabletop, all rulebooks, maps, handouts, and voice-acted NPCs so you always know who's talking. You just need a computer and a microphone.
Homebrew rules
Combat Enhancements: Potions as Bonus Action: Keeps healing viable and combat flowing Flanking Grants Advantage: Rewards tactical positioning Critical Hits Hit Hard: Max your weapon dice, then roll additional. A longsword crit = 8 + 1d8 + STR. Crits feel devastating. Heroic Sacrifice: If you take a killing blow meant for another PC, you automatically stabilize at 0 HP (once per long rest). Heroism matters. Profession Abilities Profession Dice Stack: Your profession die adds to checks where your expertise applies. This STACKS with Expertise, Guidance, and Bardic Inspiration. Specialists should feel REALLY good at their thing. Profession Advancement is Story-Based: You rank up by accomplishing profession-specific goals in the narrative, not by XP. A Physician ranks up by curing plagues. A Soldier ranks up by winning battles. Rule of Cool: If it's cinematic, makes narrative sense, and you can justify it in-character, I'm saying yes. Swing from that chandelier. Dropkick that vampire spawn. Make it cool.
Equipment needed to play
Internet
Computer
Microphone
Platforms used
Safety
How Davi creates a safe table
Before Session Zero: I send a private Google Form for Lines & Veils: Lines = hard boundaries (we don't include this at all) Veils = topics we acknowledge but don't describe in detail Common examples: graphic torture, harm to children/animals, sexual content, specific phobias, body horror. I create a master list shared with the group (your individual responses stay private). During Sessions: X, N, O Cards (verbal, chat, or physical): X = stop immediately, no questions asked N = I'm uncomfortable, tone it down O = I'm loving this, keep going Open Door Policy: Take breaks, step away, or leave early anytime. Your wellbeing > the game. Built-in Breaks: 5-10 minutes around the 2-hour mark every session Content Calibration: Curse of Strahd is horror, but I calibrate intensity to what the table wants. Want full dread and gruesome descriptions? I'll lean in. Want dark fantasy adventure with horror elements? I'll focus on action and mystery. Want to avoid specific content? Tell me and we navigate around it completely. After Intense Sessions: Group debriefs after heavy story beats Individual check-ins via Discord if something landed hard Ongoing feedback channel for anonymous safety concerns My Commitment: The story flexes to match your comfort level. If content isn't working, we adjust openly. I'm here to run compelling gothic horror everyone enjoys and feels safe in, not to traumatize anyone.
Content warnings
Safety tools used